Swim Free or die
by soundtechlove
Summary: Haruka drops out of University because he can't swim free, but is that really the reason? Makoto travels home from University for a year so he isn't alone. After Makoto returns to University, Haru is left to figure out his future and what he really wants or who.
1. Makoto's Goodbye

"Haru!" Makoto called out from the shower. "Can you grab me a towel?" It was early in the morning and Makoto had been getting ready to leave for his second year of university.

"Haru! Get up! You are going to make me late!"

Makoto had taken a year off from University to stay at home with Haruka after he quit university half way through their freshman year. Makoto took up work at the nearby Jupiter Eels Swimclub in Jupiter, Florida where the two men grew up together. The swimclub was home to the Jupiter Dolphins swim teams, which Haruka and Makoto were members of in high school and won the regional championships in addition to the nationals. Now Makoto was spending his time teaching young swimmers basic swimming techniques after completing his first year at university.

He planned to return sooner, but Makoto knew Haruka needed him even if the black-haired, blue-eyed, mackerel loving man wasn't always so appreciative. He couldn't stay home any longer though. His best friend spent day after day lying in a tub of water from sun up until sun down only getting out to cook, go to the pool, or sleep. He barely uttered a word anymore even to Makoto and it was getting too much for the tall, kind-hearted, brunette to handle.

It hurt Haruka for Makoto to leave, but maybe if he did, things would change. Maybe, just maybe Haruka would find what he was looking for. After all, it's been right in front of him since he was just a boy.

Haruka threw a towel over the shower curtain and left the bathroom. He went into the kitchen and made breakfast, which of course was mackerel. Haruka always cooked in his swim trunks, which were black with a purple stripe down both sides, and his white apron.

As the fish cooked he slipped into a daze. Makoto strode in minutes later in blue jeans and a navy blue-cotton tee. He saw the fish begin to burn and looked up at his friend who looked spacy-eyed. "Haru!" Haruka awoke from his daze and turn off the flame. "Breakfast is ready." The daydreamer announced. The two of them smiled and sat down for breakfast. As they ate Haruka couldn't help, but think this might be their last breakfast together.

"Haruka?" The brunette looked up from his plate with his bright green eyes and caught the man's glance. "Will you be okay?" Haruka hesitated for a moment. He nodded. "Yes."

Makoto gave a small half-hearted smile. "Okay then I guess I should head off." He stood from his seat, took his plate to the sink to wash and grabbed his backpack off the floor by the door. He turned and looked at Haruka one last time. "See you when I get back?" He asked with little emotion. Haruka nodded.

The brunette said goodbye and headed out to his moss green Nissan Altima. He threw his bag in the passenger seat and drove off looking back at his best friend from his rearview mirror until the mackerel loving man was out of sight.

Makoto was attending Iwatobi University to study Sports Management. His plan was to become a Swim Coach and open his own swim club. Haruka once had the same dream until he dropped out of school.

Five hours later, he arrived at the university. The University was quite large with a city-like atmosphere. The seven residence halls were built along the border of the campus. Across the road were the academic buildings where classes are held. This university was also home to Florida's favorite college football and Soccer team, the Iwatobi Dolphins.

Every year the soccer team would host a game against our rivals, the Samezuka Sharks to start off the year. Makoto always found the first game of the year most exciting.

After unpacking his car into his suite on the second floor of Orca hall, Makoto headed out with a book to read under his favorite tree in the center of the academic quad.

Meanwhile, Haruka was back in Jupiter where he had filled the bathtub with water and was sulking in the emptiness of his home. _I never told Makoto why I dropped out of University. I only said it wasn't where I wanted to be._ Haruka had spent a lot of time with his thoughts in the mere hours his friend had been gone. "I only swim free" He gritted his teeth and slid down the back of the tub under the water.

 _The day I came back from University, I called Makoto and told him that school wasn't for me anymore. He told me if that's what I wanted to do, then he'd support me, but I had to figure out what to do with my life. He said he wouldn't let me waste me life. I told him to give me time to figure it out and he's given me that. The next day he showed up at my door and was by my side ever since that day, but I never told him why I decided to quit._

"I only swim free." He repeated to himself as he continued to think to himself.

 _It was the day of Swim team tryouts. The coach wanted us each to show him our butterfly technique. I told him I only swim free. He told me if I wasn't going to swim to get out. I dove in the water and swam free. It felt right when I was in the water. I felt like I was home, but when I got out and stood in front of the coach he told me to leave. I wanted to swim and if I couldn't swim, I didn't want to be there. It was nothing like before. I miss the Jupiter swim team. I miss Nagisa, Rei and Rin. I miss swimming for the team. That is what you taught me. And most of all, I miss you._

Haruka was shot out of his daze by a small tapping sound. The muscular swimmer stepped out of the tub and followed the sound, which lead to his bedroom window. He pulled up his blinds and saw a small orange tabby in the window. It was the same kitten Makoto had been taking care of for the last three months. He smiled and opened the window. The small kitten jumped in the window and took a seat upon Haruka's bed.

He looked at the cat and sighed. "You know Makoto left, cat." The kitten hopped off the bed and rubbed his head against Haruka's still damp leg. "Ugh. Okay, Okay"

Haruka led the small mammal into the kitchen and fed it the leftover fish from breakfast he had stashed in the fridge. "Are you happy now, cat?"

The kitten purred softly and rubbed his fur against Haruka's leg. The man gave an annoying look at the cat before letting out a big sigh. He kneeled down and picked up the small creature holding him close to his smooth, bare chest.

 _I suppose we both miss Makoto…don't we?_ Haruka thought as he smiled down at the kitten thinking of his friend.

"Don't worry little kitten. You can stay here if you want to"


	2. Iwatobi University

**Hello, Makoharites! Did you enjoy chapter 1? Here's chapter 2**

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Chapter 2:

It was the first day of University and Makoto's alarm didn't go off on time. When he woke up he reach over and grabbed his alarm clock realizing he had set it for 7:00pm instead of am.

"Oh no! I'm late!" Makoto scrambled to throw on a shirt and his khakis. He quickly brushed his teeth, grabbed his backpack he packed and left by the door the night before and ran out the door, down the hall and down the stairs out the front door of the dormitory.

When he arrived to class, the teacher along with the entire class stared at him as he sat down in a chair next to a dark brown haired, athletically built man with sad blue eyes. Makoto took out his textbook.

"Your name, sir?" The Professor asked him as he sat down. "Huh?" Makoto responded. The Professor fixed his glasses upon his face and repeated himself frustrated with the brunette. "I said, what is your name?" Makoto answered slightly nervously. "Oh! Tachibana, sir. Makoto Tachibana." The Professor narrowed his eyes at him then spoke in a rather annoyed tone. "Mr. Tachibana, next time you plan on being late for my class…don't. Otherwise, don't show up at all. It is rather disruptive to my class." He turned his back to the class and began writing on the board as he continued teaching where he left off before Makoto entered the room.

The attractive male next to him leaned over and whispered. "Don't worry. He's strict, but if you pay attention and do the work, there is no way you can fail. You'll be okay, mate." Makoto gave him a friendly smile. "Thanks" He whispered back to him and began taking notes until class ended an hour later.

Back in Jupiter, Haruka was still sleeping. Since he didn't have any obligations during the day, there was no reason for him to wake up early. Haruka was asleep in his bed with the kitten sleeping on top of his chest. The black-haired dolphin boy didn't wake up until noon. Haruka stretched and rolled slowly out of bed.

He reached for his cellphone, which lay on his bedside table and checked for any text messages. Hoping to get a message from Makoto, he was disappointed to only see a message from Rin that read:

 _Hey Haru! I hope you're doing okay. I am in town for a little on a week's break from training. We should have a race.. Hmu ~Rin_

"Huh. Rin is home." Haruka placed his phone down, but not before messaging Makoto asking him how his first day was going.

Haruka wandered in to the kitchen and opened the fridge to find he had no Mackerel left.

"No mackerel." He muttered to himself.

Haruka slammed the fridge shut and trudged back into his room and threw on a shirt and shoes and walked out the front door.

As he walked down the street he noticed all the people around him with places to go and things to do. They had a purpose in their lives. Something Haruka couldn't seem to find. It only took a couple minutes to walk to the fish market. The fish market wasn't big, but it was one of Haruka's favorite places to be. As he walked down the row of vendors he came to the one vendor who's table was at the end of the row. Placed along the table were pounds upon pounds of fresh Mackerel. It was his best product.

The old man tending the table looked over and saw Haruka standing in front of the table. "Haru! Hello, son. Here to purchase some more fish?" Haruka just nodded. The old man continued to talk as he packed up a few pounds of Mackerel for Haruka. "You know, I am glad you are here. A lot of the consumers are buying from those big grocery stores now. It's more convenient for them, but since when did convenience take priority over better quality?" Haruka shrugged and the man handed him the fish as Haruka handed him the money. "You take care now, Haru. Hope to see you again." Haruka nodded. "Yes. Thank You."

Haruka began walking back to the apartment when he ran into Rin who was jogging down the street. Rin stopped and hugged Haruka tightly.

"Haru! I'm so glad to see you!" He released the fish lover from his embrace and stepped back and stood in front of him.

"So. How are you, Haru?" Haruka answered with rather little emotion. "I'm fine." Rin didn't quite believe him. He knew Haruka was quite and reserved, but something seemed off about him. "Hey Haru, isn't school in session now? Why aren't you at University?"

Haruka never told Rin about what happened and how he left University a year ago. He didn't know how to explain it to him. He simply looked up at the redheaded swimmer and lied.

"I'm taking some time off." He said.

Rin looked a bit confused, but didn't pry. "Okay, well do you want to meet up later for a race? " Rin raised his eyebrow at Haruka trying to entice the swimmer into accepting the offer.

Haruka declined. "No, sorry. I'm busy."

Rin looked a bit disappointed the water loving, dolphin boy didn't want to race with him. "Okay well, see you later then?" Haruka nodded and continued walking to the apartment with the mackerel in his hands.

Rin stood and watch him walk away confused by Haruka's latest attitude. When Haruka turned the corner out of sight, Rin continued his jog in the opposite direction. When he arrived home he placed the fish in the fridge leaving one out to cook. He changed into his swim trunks and apron and turned on the stovetop. He placed the fish in the pan and fried it until it was cooked all the way through. When finished he placed it on a plate and sat alone at the kitchen table with the small kitten at his feet.

Haruka looked down at the kitten and smiled. It reminded him of Makoto. He dropped a piece of fish at the kitten's feet and continued eating his own.

Meanwhile, Makoto was struggling through his first day. It was Monday so he had classes until 2pm that day. After classes he had swim tryouts. Makoto arrived at tryouts 20 minutes early so he could stretch and prepare. However, Makoto wasn't the only one who arrived early. When Makoto arrived he noticed the same man from his early morning class. He was wearing black swim trunks with white and grey stripes down the leg. The man noticed Makoto and began to walk toward him.

"Hey! Tachibana isn't it?" Makoto gave a friendly smile. "Yes. Makoto or Mako for short." The two men shook hands. "I'm Sousuke. Sosuke Yamazaki". The men smiled at each other. "It's nice to meet you. So you're trying out for the swim team?" Sosuke chuckled. "Yes." Makoto felt utter embarrassment. "Oh, sorry. That was a stupid question. Of Course you're here for the tryouts!"

Sosuke thought his rambling was cute. "Relax Mako" The man placed a hand on his shoulder. "We're going to have some fun today okay?" Makoto got nervous. "Umm okay."

The rest of the swimmers started to shuffle in along with the coach. Sosuke walked away from Makoto and left him to finish stretching. Sosuke was speaking with the coach while the other swimmers were talking amongst each other.

"Okay everyone!" The coach called over everyone as he stood on top of one of the starting blocks. The room silenced as he spoke. "Okay we'll be watching all of you today so do your best, but most of all have fun. Alright let's get to work!" Everyone shuffled to his or her place along the pool. The coach ran drill after drill until he was sure he had seen enough.

At the end of tryouts, Makoto was the last one to get out of the water. A hand appeared in front of him and he looked up to see the bright, blue-eyed captain before him. Grabbing hold of his hand, Sosuke pulled Makoto out of the pool. "Thank You." Makoto showed his gratitude toward the attractive swimmer. "You're welcome." Sosuke handed him a towel and the two walked in to the locker room together as they began talking about the tryouts.

"So do you know when they'll put the roster up?" Makoto inquired. Sosuke nodded. "It should be up by Thursday at noon." Makoto dried his hair and threw on his shirt. "Cool. Thanks." Sosuke gave a small, but cute smile. "No problem. Hey do you want to go get something to eat?" Makoto nodded. "Yes. I'm hungry."

The two walked out the locker room and toward the door to the outside. "So what dorm you in?" Sosuke asked. "Makoto replied. "Oh, I'm in Orca. What about you?" Sosuke looked rather nervous by his question. "Well, actually. I got here late last night so I stayed in a hotel. I have to go pick up my key. Want to walk with me?" Makoto chuckled and nodded. "Sure thing."

The two headed across campus to the student life building where Sosuke picked up his dorm key. "You're in Orca hall, second floor," the receptionist who gave him his key said to him. Makoto was curious. "Hey what's the room number?" Sosuke looked at the information he was given to see he was staying in the room next to Makoto. "Hey you're rooming next to me. Listen, Why don't you come back to the dorm. We'll get showered and changed and go eat. Then I'll grab my car and help you move your stuff in." Sosuke nodded smiling genuinely. "Thank You so much, Mako." Makoto didn't know why he was being so nice to someone he had just met.

 _Guess I would want someone to help me out if I were he._

Little did Makoto know it was a little more than his own kindness that was causing him to be so friendly.

* * *

 **Wanna hear a bad whale joke? Ready? What do you call a baby whale?**

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 **...A little squirt! Swim free everyone!**


	3. First Date?

**So I hope you guys enjoy this next chapter. Leave your reviews so I know how you like it!**

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Chapter 3:

Back in Jupiter, Haruka finished up his meal, threw on a jacket and headed out the door while leaving the small kitten behind. Haruka made his way to the old swim club where they used to swim and where Makoto used to teach.

As Haruka walked toward the entrance to the Jupiter Eels Swimclub, he saw Rin leaning against the wall of the building.

"Rin." Haruka stopped before reaching the entrance to the club.

Rin looked up and saw Haruka. He gave a small mischievous grin. "Haru." Rin pushed himself from the wall and walked slowly toward Haruka stopping mere inches in front of the man.

"I knew you couldn't stay away. The water calls you like a melody to a musician's ear. I knew I could find you here." Rin stood tall in front of Haruka wearing nothing, but his swim jammer and goggles, which lay around his neck.

Haruka stood in front of Rin and stared at his feet. He didn't want to start confrontation.

The redheaded shark was annoyed by Haruka's silence and grabbed the man lifting him up by his shirt. "What happened to you, Haru?!" Rin screamed at Haruka. Tears were beginning to fall down his cheeks.

Haruka looked blankly at Rin.

Rin shook Haruka and screamed at him again. "What aren't you telling me?!"

A man who happened to be passing by saw Rin and Haruka. When Rin noticed the man, he put Haruka down and walked away. Haruka stood there in a daze as Rin's words floated through his mind.

Minutes later, a man walked out of the club and noticed Haruka. This particular man happened to own the club and was Makoto's former employer. When he saw Haruka he tapped him on the shoulder breaking Haruka's daze. "Excuse me." The man said.

"Hmm?" Haruka pulled his head up and noticed the man. "Oh. Hello."

"You're Haruka aren't you? Makoto's friend." The man asked.

Haruka nodded. "Yes."

The man smiled happily and continued. "Great! I have a proposition for you. Since Makoto left for University I have an open position here at the club. Would you be interested in teaching kids how to swim?"

Haruka thought for a second and then answered, "I only swim free." He walked past the man and into the club. During this time, the pool was usually empty so Haruka took advantage and always went to swim.

Haruka striped down to him swim Jammer, which was black with a purple stripe down both sides and dove into the water. He allowed himself to float and his mind to wander.

Allowing his mind to wander wasn't always a good thing. Haruka often thought about where his life was heading. He felt stuck, alone and like he had failed. He didn't know where he belonged in the world, but he did know one thing. He missed Makoto, a fact he would never admit to himself or anyone.

Haruka was a great swimmer. He could have even been an Olympic swimmer like Rin, but he chose to go to college and be closer to Makoto, but after the incident at University, Haruka didn't know what he wanted anymore.

 _I only swim free. I only swim for my friends._

Meanwhile, at IwatobiUniversity Makoto had helped Sosuke move in. The two men had worked up quite an appetite so they headed out to a nearby pub just outside of campus.

Sosuke and Makoto walked in and took a seat at a table and waiting only a few minutes before a waitress approached them. "Welcome to the Whale Shark Pub. Can I get you something to drink or are you ready to order?"

The two looked at each other and then up at the waitress. Makoto answered. "Uhh can you bring us two sodas and a basket of fries to start? We still need a minute."

The waitress nodded. "Okay I'll be right back with that."

Makoto and Sosuke opened the menus that have been lying on the table in front of them since they sat down. "Let's see. Looks like a good selection. Get what you want, Sosuke. I'm buying."

Sosuke looked up from his menu and smiled nervously. "No that's okay, Makoto. Let me. You did help me move in tonight."

Makoto sighed. "Fine, but next time I'm buying." He gave Sosuke a slight smirk.

Sosuke looked back at his menu. The waitress soon came back with their fries and beverages. "Are you ready to place your order?" She asked

The two looked up at her and nodded. "Yes." Sosuke replied

"Okay. What can I get for you?" The girl held out her pen and pad ready to take their order.

Sosuke answered with quite a tall order. "Okay I'll have the Bacon Swiss burger, Chicken Tenders with sauce and Mozzarella Sticks. How about you Mako?" The waitress along with Sosuke looked over at Makoto. Makoto chuckled. "That's quite a big order, Yamazaki. Okay, Uhh…I'll have a cheeseburger with lettuce and tomato and a salad with French dressing please."

The waitress read back the order and walked away. Makoto and Sosuke were having a good time. They talked about their likes and dislikes, friends and families and enjoyed getting to know one another.

Actually Makoto really enjoyed it. For Makoto it was nice to be around someone else for a change, but it didn't mean he missed Haruka any less. Actually, he spoke fondly of Haruka through most of dinner since Haruka was Makoto's family. He was all he had besides Nagisa and Rei and Makoto cared very deeply for the man more than anyone else, a fact he often denied.

"So does Haruka go to University too?" Sosuke inquired very curiously.

"No. He lives back home in Jupiter." Makoto answered him

"They way you talk about him. I thought you two were together." Sosuke continued. Makoto began fidgeting nervously "Me and Haruka? No way. He's my best friend."

Sosuke raised an eyebrow at him. "Okay." He placed the money for the bill on the table and stood. "Ready to go?"

Makoto nodded. "Yeah." The two of them walked out the door and back toward campus. "It's a nice night out."

Sosuke smiled and placed a gentle hand on Makoto's shoulder. "Yeah. It sure it. Hey, Mako?"

"Yeah, Yamazaki?" Mako replied.

Sosuke stopped and made Makoto face him. "I—" He paused.

"Yeah, Sosuke?" Makoto watched the man intently ready to listen.

"Thank you, for everything today. I had a lot of fun." Sosuke's statement surprised Makoto. He thought for sure the blue-eyed dreamboat was going to admit to feelings toward him. Makoto gave a half-hearted smile. "Uhh- yeah, sure. It was great."

Sosuke noticed the change in the brunette's voice. "Mako?" Makoto looked up into Sosuke's clear blue eyes trying to hide his disappointment. "Yeah?"

Sosuke leaned in a kissed Makoto gently on the cheek. "I had a wonderful time tonight. Would you like to do it again sometime?" Makoto blushed.

"Uhh…Yeah. Sure. I'd love too." He smiled brightly at Sosuke and the two of them walked back to their dorms where they said goodnight before they each walked into their respective rooms.

In Jupiter, Haruka had returned home after another day wasted. Rin, while Haruka was swimming at the club, snuck into the locker room and stole Makoto's cellphone number from his phone. Rin decided to call Makoto that night and find out the reason behind Haruka's behavior.

 _ **Ring Ring**_

" _Hello?"_

 _Makoto, It's Rin._

 _Hey, Rin. What's up?_

 _We need to talk about Haru…_

* * *

 **Ok. Instead of a Whale joke, I have a Dolphin joke this time. Ready?**

 **Does a dolphin ever do something by accident?**

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 **No, they do everything on porpoise!**


	4. Haru's Unwelcomed Opportunity

**So here is Chapter four. I hope you like it. I rewrote it a few times. Leave your comments!  
**

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Chapter 4:

Rin expressed his concern for Haruka to Makoto. He told Makoto everything that had happened between the two men earlier that day. Makoto sighed and told Rin that Haruka quit University a year ago and hasn't been the same since and that the only thing Makoto knows is that Haruka is trying to figure out what he wants to do with his life. He went on to explain that he believes it's something Haruka has to figure out on his own.

Frustrated, Rin hung up and threw his cellphone across the room. "Aaagh!"

Rin dropped to the floor and performed a few push-ups to release his anger. Before he went to bed, he made a few calls to a few people who may be interested in his dear rival and friend. He woke early the next day, threw on what looked like clean clothes over him swim jammer and headed out the door of his apartment to Haruka's house.

With the wind blowing in his face, Rin jogged across town to Haruka's house and banged on his door. When Haruka didn't answer, Rin ran around the back and slid in through the back door.

"Nanase!" He called out as he rushed through the swimmer's home. A small furball stopped Rin in his tracks and hissed at him. Rin pushed the kitten aside with his foot and barged through the dolphin boy's bedroom door.

"Get up, Haru!" Rin pulled the comforter off the swimmer and pushed him out of bed giving the swimmer a very rude awakening.

"Ouch!" Haruka hit the floor and slowly sat up rubbing his head. "Rin? What are you doing here?" He looked up at the angry shark.

"Get up. Get dressed. " Rin went threw Haruka's drawers and grabbed a swim jammer and some clothes and threw them at the man. "I made a few calls last night. There is a college swimming coach who may be interested in your talent. You are going to swim for him."

Haruka stood from the floor, threw his clothes that Rin threw at him on the floor and crawled back into bed. "I only swim free." He mumbled.

Rin picked up Haruka's Mattress and flipped it over causing the swimmer to fall out of bed again. "Ouch." Rin chuckled slightly this time, but was still annoyed.

"You're not going to waste your life lounging around your house, Haru. Let's go. The he will be here in three days." Haruka was angry. He stood and pushed Rin into the wall.

"You don't know anything." He said angrily at the redheaded shark. "None of this has anything to do with you!" Rin grabbed Haru's arm and pushed back.

"Like hell it doesn't. You've got incredible talent and you're throwing it away. Is that what you want, Haru?" Haruka doesn't say a word.

"You can swim all year round, Haru." Haruka didn't look convinced.

"I can do that now, but…" he paused

"I'll go if it means that much to you." Haruka stared intensely at Rin

Rin nodded "Okay" He let go of the man and turned to walk out of the room.

"But Rin…" Rin looked back at him. "I only swim free."

Rin smiled. "I know."

For the next three days Haruka avoided Rin until the day came to for his performance in front of the college coach.

The day came and the coach arrived promptly at 8am at Jupiter Eels Swimclub. Haruka, to no one's surprise was late.

He arrived five minutes late and took his place at the starting blocks. Without even a blow of a whistle or a verbal cue, he dove into the water and swam 100 meter freestyle followed by 200 meter freestyle and then climbed out of the pool.

"Happy?...Rin?" Haruka narrowed his eyes at Rin. He walked over to the bench he had laid his towel, grabbed it and walked out the door without even so much as a glance at the coach.

The coach was sitting on the bench. He didn't know what to think of the swimmer, but found him quite interesting. He stood from the bench and walked over to Rin. "Well he definitely has great potential. I think he'd make a fine addition to our team at Samezuka. Here…" The man handed Rin his card. "Give him my card. Tell him to give me a call. He'd need to be a student. Make that happen and I'll put him on the team." The coach began to head out the door. Before leaving he turned to Rin. "You know we could use someone like you on the team."

Rin shrugged. "Sorry, but I'm training for the Olympic trials not floating my life away. Good luck training your dolphin."

Rin walked passed the man and out the door.

At Iwatobi Makoto and Sousuke had walked to the sports center to see if they had made the team. The list had been put up a few days after tryouts and the two men had decided to meet up after class to walk over together.

The list was posted outside the aquatics office. Makoto scanned the list for his name and was excited to find it on the list. Sousuke then did the same and was equally as excited. Both men were on the team.

"Looks like it will be a great season." Sousuke smiled at Makoto.

"It seems so." Makoto answered, but didn't return the smile.

Makoto couldn't help, but feel sad he wasn't swimming with Haruka and his friends. Sousuke noticed the gloomy look on Makoto's face.

"Makoto? Are you, alright?" Makoto turned and gave him a half-hearted smile

"Hmm? Of course." He adjusted the straps of his backpack and turned away from the office. "Want to head to lunch?" He looked back at Sousuke.

Sousuke looked over at Makoto. "Yeah, sure. Cafeteria?" Makoto nodded. "Yeah. I hear they're serving fish today."

The two walked to the cafeteria and grabbed a plate of food. They found a table with a few of their teammates and sat down. The two ate while getting to know some of their swimming partners.

In Jupiter Rin ran around the town searching for Haruka. He found the man standing in front of their old high school.

"Haru…" Rin stopped standing a few feet away from the man who was staring up at the building in a daze. He slowly walked toward the swimmer. "Haru…"

Haruka was staring up at the building in a daze. "Haru…" He turned to face Rin.

"What." He looked back at the school.

"Here…" Rin held out the card to Haruka. "The coach wants you to call him. He seemed to like you." Haruka looked down at the card in the shark's hand.

"Coach huh?" Haruka took the card and put it in his pocket.

"You have to be a student at Samezuka to join the team, but if you can swing that then he can put you on the team." Rin continued.

Haruka heard the name of the school and turned to Rin. "Samezuka University?"

"Yeah. You've heard of it?" Rin replied.

Haruka bowed his head. "yeah."

Rin patted Haruka on the back. "Well, classes started already, but I can get you in easy. I know a few people in administration. After all it's only the first week and tryouts for Samezuka are this week anyway." Haruka looked up at Rin.

"I only swim free." Rin nodded. "I know. So...Will you give them a shot? Could be good for you."

Haruka nodded. "Fine." Haruka took the card and called the coach.

He didn't know that what he was signing up for was to be a rival of his dear friend, Makoto. He called Makoto with the news, though after hearing it, Makoto failed to tell the swimmer they'd be rivals. The brunette was just happy he would be able to swim with the blue-eyed dolphin once again.

In just a few days Haruka's paperwork was all set and he made his way to Samezuka University.

* * *

 **So here is my joke for the night. Ready?**

 **What kind of stroke can you use on toast?**

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 **A: BUTTER-fly!**


End file.
